Beneath The Leaves
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: Skipper has the enticing task of pulling Private out of the leaves.  Slash.


Title: "Beneath the Leaves"  
>Author: Pirate Turner<br>Rating: PG-13  
>Summary: Skipper has the enticing task of pulling Private out of the leaves.<br>Warnings: Slash, Established Pairings  
>Word Count: 1,689<br>Date Written: 12 November, 2011  
>Challenge: For a XDisneyDreamers LJ comm's weekly challenge and a DiteysBlessings LJ comm's monthly challenge<br>Disclaimer: Private, Skipper, Rico, Kowalski, Penguins of Madagascar, and all other recognizable characters mentioned within are ﾩ & TM DreamWorks, not the author. Everything else is ﾩ & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

"Now, soldiers," Skipper announced, his flippers pressed together behind his back as he surveyed his men, "this is the most important mission we have been on in a long time. We can not let anything stop us from completing this mission! For the love of country and of penguin kind, we must - "

His speech was interrupted by a giggle, and Skipper's dark eyes narrowed. He looked to the first penguin in line, but Rico grinned and shrugged his ebony shoulders. "Wan't me," he chirped.

Skipper moved to the next penguin. Kowalski shook his head. "I can assure you, Skipper, I always have the utmost respect for anything you say. However, I do believe there is another penguin here whose juvenile antics may be hindering him in showing you the utmost respect you - "

"Kowalski," Skipper snapped, "nobody likes a brown noser."

Kowalski's face fell, but he hushed immediately nonetheless. "Aw," Rico murmured, stepping over and pressing a flipper to his mate's. "It be okay," he whispered. "Skipper just upset."

Skipper was beyond upset as his stern gaze fell upon his Private. The only thing he could see of his youngest troop member was his webbed feet sticking out from beneath a huge pile of leaves. They were kicking the air, and Private's giggle grew louder. "PRIVATE!" Skipper yelled.

Private's feet stilled instantaneously, and his head stuck up from the other side of the pile of leaves. "Yes, Skipper?" Private gulped as he saw the anger flaring in his beloved Skipper's eyes. "Oh, was I missing something important? I'm sorry." A leaf drifted down and fell on top of his beak. He giggled at the way it tickled him; Skipper's eyes nearly shot out of his feathered head as Private giggled again.

"I - I'm sorry. Really, I am," Private apologized once more, trying hard to keep a straight face and stop the giggles that bubbled in his tummy from all the colorful leaves brushing against his feathers and beak. "I didn't mean to get distracted, cause a scene, or make you upset. It's just . . . Here I was, minding my own business, when this pile of leaves fell on me." He grinned. "They really are quite fun, little fellows, you know."

Skipper shook his head, a baleful looking settling in on his face and taking the place of his anger. "I'm not even going to ask," he declared, "what imaginary friends you're finding so fun now, Private. Just stand up and get ready to do your duty, penguin." Turning back to his other men, he waved a flipper, "Let's move on out."

Under his steely gaze, Rico took the lead and was quickly followed by Kowalski. Skipper waited, but when Private still didn't follow suit, he turned back to the pile of leaves only to find Private had totally disappeared underneath the leaves. "PRIVATE!" Skipper bellowed, but no answer came to meet his ears. "PRIVATE!" he yelled again. "PRIVATE!"

When his soldier still didn't answer him on his third command, Skipper dove into the leaves himself. Yet, just as he started to land, Private's little, black tail stuck up out of the leaves and wagged in his face. Skipper caught his cute tail in his flippers before he could stop himself. "PRIVATE," he yelled, "YOU'RE COMING OUT OF THESE LEAVES!" He reached up and wrapped his flippers around his penguin.

Private doubled over with laughter as Skipper unintentionally tickled him as his flippers went around him. Between the leaves and his love's flippers, Private was now being tickled on every inch, and he rolled in the leaves, with Skipper still wrapped around him as he refused to relinquish his hold on him, laughing so hard that tears welled in his eyes and unwittingly struggling against Skipper's every attempt to pull him out of the leaves.

Finally, Skipper managed to throw himself on top of Private; the leaves pushed out from the impact of their bodies slamming together and then fell back down onto them. Skipper blew off the one that landed on his beak, and Private giggled again and then blushed as Skipper glared disdainfully down at him. "Private, I'm surprised at you," Skipper barked, "failing so completely to follow my orders! You've brought shame to our team this day, soldier!"

Private's jovial face fell. Tears, which were no longer caused by his laughter, ran down his black feathers, and he wiped at them with a trembling flipper. "I . . . I'm sorry, Skipper," Private whimpered, and Skipper's heart broke.

Skipper sighed heavily and hung his head. "You didn't mean any harm," he acknowledged, but still he couldn't abide his rules not being followed. Angry words were on the tip of his tongue when he saw more tears fall down his beloved's face as he writhed in agony. "It's okay," he said and, desperate to make Private feel better and not be so upset, hugged him. "But you've got to do better. Promise me you will, Private."

"Oh, I will!" Private quickly exclaimed. "I'll do much better! You know you usually don't have to say anything to me, Skipper. I'm always eager to obey your every command." His short tail wriggled in the bed of leaves.

Skipper sighed. "I know," he agreed. This was the first time he'd ever really had to get onto Private for not obeying his orders.

"But . . . " Private glanced hopefully around at the park and its myriad of beautiful, Fall colors. "But can't we come back here later?" he asked. "You know, just to enjoy the beauty of Fall and the falling leaves?" He wriggled in the leaves, and Skipper wondered if he had any idea what heated and thrilling sensations were passing from his body into his own as he slid against him.

"Yes," Skipper agreed. He closed his eyes, fighting down his own strong urges to take his young Private right there and then in the leaves despite the urgency of the mission they still held at flipper. He nodded. "Of course we can." His eyes popped open as he felt Private's beak touch his.

Private blushed again as he pulled back from the kiss that had taken his beloved and heroic Skipper completely by surprise. "Thank you," he spoke. He wanted to tell him that life wasn't all about missions, but he knew he'd never believe him. He'd have to show him instead, and he vowed he would as they continued to spend the rest of their lives together.

Skipper smiled down at Private, suddenly forgetting about everything else around him. He forgot his other men were waiting for him to again take the lead; the mission at last escaped his mind. He forgot to look out for spying eyes, and he again pressed his beak against Private's.

"OH, COME ON, GUYS!" a voice yelled down at them from somewhere above. "I HAVEN'T EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO CHECK THOSE LEAVES YET FOR ACORNS!"

Skipper shot off of Private as though he'd been scalded, but as he leapt back to his webbed feet, he took Private's flipper in his and pulled him back to his feet as well. He looked all around them before finally hearing the voice again, "UP HERE!", and following it to the tree above their heads.

"Fred!" He waved his flippers at the squirrel peering down at them. "You saw nothing."

Private, meanwhile, was busy digging in the leaves. He stood erect once more and held an acorn aloft. "Here's an acorn, Fred," he said helpfully, but as Fred started to scamper down the tree's bark to retrieve the proffered acorn, Rico leapt into the air and karate chopped him. He flipped backwards in the chilly, Autumn wind and landed beside his mate again. He nodded obediently to Skipper. "He saw nothing," he agreed.

"Oh, guys, is that really necessary?" Private asked, pouting down at where Fred's unconscious body had fallen before him.

"I'm afraid it is, young Private," Skipper said, "for no one must know what we are about today."

"Fred didn't know about the mission," Private said, placing the acorn he'd found into Fred's open paw.

"And he won't know about it," Skipper concluded, his steely eyes meeting the gazes of the other two members of their team. "Just like you two didn't see anything either," he commanded to which Rico and Kowalski both quickly nodded.

"Not a thing, Skipper," Kowalski agreed obediently although he and Rico had watched Skipper's romantic exchange in the leaves with Private.

"Yup," Rico agreed, nodding. He stole a quick glance back at the bed of leaves as he considered what fun he and his own beloved Kowalski could have therein. Feeling Skipper's stern gaze upon him, he whipped his head back around and confirmed, "Nutin at all." He shook his head, then grasped Kowalski's flipper in his own and headed off to the destination where their actual mission would take place.

"Private," Skipper called.

Private immediately jumped back to his feet from where he'd been finding acorns in the mass of colorful leaves and placing them in Fred's paws. "Righto, Skipper," he declared and saluted him. His little, stub of a black and feathery tail waved in the air as he swiftly followed the other two penguins.

Skipper tried to drag his eyes away from his young love's eagerly waving tail. He smiled to himself as he ran after his men and soon took the leading position of his squad again. They were his team, he thought proudly, and he'd keep them all in line - even if his young lover was more charismatic than was good for their own good. He loved all of his men, Skipper thought, his heart swelling silently, but he loved his Private most of all and soon, just as soon as they had completed their mission with flying colors for all of them, he'd take him back to that very same bed of leaves that had caused this latest commotion and delayed their urgent mission. And there, he vowed, he would make sweet love to him and show him how important he was to him for all the rest of the night!

**The End**


End file.
